St. Charles North ousts Glenbard West
Youth served, and youth finished.
St. Charles North's 3-0 win over Glenbard West in Saturday's Class AA regional title soccer game featured goals from sophomores Maggie Hamilton, Alecia Natale and Paige Dusek, and a pair of assists from sophomore Alyssa Peterson.
"Most of them were with us last year, and they're good players," said North Stars senior Caitlin Winkelman. "We're a good, balanced team."
However far the North Stars burrow into the state playoffs this year, you can likely project them into the state rankings for the next few seasons.
"They're very strong, aggressive, quick, and they made it very difficult for us today," said Hilltoppers coach Macek Kusmierz. "They set the bar high."
The North Stars' win in Streamwood launched them into next week's Wheaton North sectional semifinals, where they'll take on Wheaton Academy on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
"We knew (Glenbard West) pretty well, we had scouted them, and we had their key players targeted," said North Stars coach Ruth Vostal. "We didn't play as clean in the back as we would have liked, but we got the job done."
As it was, the North Stars (15-5) held the Hilltoppers (12-5-1) to a single legitimate shot on net, a late head shot that keeper Vicki Traven fielded easily. Hamilton also posted a stalwart effort in chasing the Hilltoppers' midfield playmaker, Kristen Papierski, around the field.
The North Stars posted their 14th shutout of the year with the win, and earned a 9 to 1 edge in shots put on frame.
Forty minutes of scoreless soccer featured a missed penalty kick by the Hilltoppers, and a sliding kick save by Hilltoppers goalkeeper Mallory Livingston of a Leah DeMoss shot.
Livingston was solid throughout Saturday's contest.
St. Charles North came out hard with the wind at its back to start the second half, and got on the board when Peterson sent a ball over to Hamilton, whose long-range offering snuck inside the near post.
"Once we got the first goal, we had the momentum from there," Winkelman said. "We knew if we kept working hard, the goals would come."
Natale finished from 12 yards out two minutes later, and a 2-goal deficit seemed daunting for a Hilltoppers' team struggling to reach the final third.
"We couldn't get the flow of the game going," Kuzmierz said. "They pressured us, and forced us to make mistakes."
"Overall, (this season) I'm pleased. We had some close losses, and the effort was there."
Peterson crossed a ball from the corner toward the goalmouth with less than a minute to play in regulation, and Dusek finished on it to end the day's scoring and give the North Stars a regional title.
"Our scoring is coming from all over this year," Dusek said. "It's a lot of fun playing with your friends, and I think we just all motivate each other."